I stepped off the ladder one step too soon Saturday, did a sideways shuffle across the garage, slammed into the wall and jammed my right arm into my ribs, it hurt like a b---h! I ended up sitting on something and thought I should take a minute to get my wits about me, when I realized my jeans were smoking,

I can just imagine you doing this to the Benny Hill theme... funny! Glad u did not get hurt, I've step'd off mine a time or 2, hurts the back.

My ribs are still extremely sore in just one spot, they get better, then I sneeze, and it's on again for a day or two. Didn't actually burn myself, just smelled the denim getting hot. I'd love to see the video myself!

A pilon fracture to my right lower distal tibia....funny the things we remember....that's what the doctors called it when the extension ladder I was on(at the top) broke and I fell about 15 feet 20 years ago, and broke my leg. Ladder safety...I can't emphasize it enough....hope your ribs are ok

I know all to well the dangers of ladders. 21 yrs ago,16' in the air and the ladder I was on went sideways. The fall down was quick and painless but the meeting of the rocky covered ground did the damage. Many broken bones,shattered both wrists shattered left eye socket shattered left cheek, the list goes on. Many weeks & yrs and 7 surgerys and I'am still here to play and drive my tractors. So all in all life is good. Hope to beable to keep doing what I do for many more yrs. So anytime I hear of ladder accidents it makes me take notice.

Ladder accidents are far to common. My friend stepped off the bottom rung with a chainsaw in his hand, slipped and fell on the saw hand. Did not get cut but broke both bones in his wrist, both of which came thru the skin. That was 4 years ago, he can use it today but not very well. Hope you get to feeling better.

Many years ago when in high school I was working building construction. This also included shingling, etc. On this particular job we were on a tall corn crib with a drive in basement. Had to be close to 24' to the scaffold, then another 4' up to the edge of the roof. Back then our toe boards were 2 x 4's anchored to the roof with the wire that came around the shingle bundles. We were close to the top putting on wood shingles when one too many people got on the end toe board. Yep - the wire snapped, and so did all the other below it when 3 of us hit them. One guy hung on to the end of the toes board he caught going by. I grabbed the scaffold and stopped there. The third guy kept right on going and landed in pile of old wood shingle we had tore off that side of the roof. Main damage was many puncture wounds to various parts of his body from the old shingle nails. 1/2 hr later we were back to shingling that roof again.

On the other side of that same building we were about 1/2 way up the roof. when we stopped for a break. Everyone cam down to feel the ground except one. Couldn't find him. Somebody spotted him up on the roof, back to the roof, taking shingles from one side and putting his other side. The moving them back again. Two of us went up after him. He was white as a sheet and sacred stiff. We had one heck of a time getting him down. Had to blind fold him and guide his every move till we got him on the scaffold. That was the last roof he ever got up on. Thanks for letting me ramble on. Those were the good old days, I think?

Fifteen years ago this April my younger brother was rushing to finish cedar siding a two story house with a drive out basement garage. He had two sets of scaffold set up on the concrete driveway along with a 24' ladder on top of the scaffolding. The scaffolds kicked out from the weight of him and the ladder. He came down the 35' head first and supposedly died on impact. Worst day of my life so far.

It all happens so quick. There is very little time to react. And its not the fall that hurts. Its the stopping part. And there is usually a tool that swings around to jab you in the side yet too on impact.

Fifteen years ago this April my younger brother was rushing to finish cedar siding a two story house with a drive out basement garage. He had two sets of scaffold set up on the concrete driveway along with a 24' ladder on top of the scaffolding. The scaffolds kicked out from the weight of him and the ladder. He came down the 35' head first and supposedly died on impact. Worst day of my life so far.

I had a cousin who died when the forklift cage he was working in broke when he lean against the railing. Fell 20-25' and the broken railing cut his jugular on the way down. They didn't require tie offs back then in 1983

Fifteen years ago this April my younger brother was rushing to finish cedar siding a two story house with a drive out basement garage. He had two sets of scaffold set up on the concrete driveway along with a 24' ladder on top of the scaffolding. The scaffolds kicked out from the weight of him and the ladder. He came down the 35' head first and supposedly died on impact. Worst day of my life so far.

I had a cousin who died when the forklift cage he was working in broke when he lean against the railing. Fell 20-25' and the broken railing cut his jugular on the way down. They didn't require tie offs back then in 1983

Even when we think we are safe things can happen.

sorry to hear of this as well Marty. Makes me think harder about all the ladder work I've been doing & still need to finish.

So sorry to hear of all the dreadful injuries. Being in construction for over thirty years I have seen some bad stuff.

What I want to share is something that could have been bad but was very funny....bare with me. Several years ago I was partners with a dad & his two sons building log homes. They had an electrician friend & his son that worked together or tried to. They were from Germany & had what I enjoyed listening to was a strong accent along with many stories. The son's name was Eric but when the dad needed him he would yell " Edic, Edic come qweekly ".

We all had to work together because of so much drilling with 3/4" augers thru the logs as we built so they could chase wires later. I got so tired of watching the dad fight these very dull augers & cussing in his native tongue. Before lunch one day I let him use one of mine that was very sharp because we were sharpening ours throughout the day. We had just unpacked a large hot tub & was going to hoist it up after lunch. All the cardboard was put in the garage to get it out of the way.

During our lunch break the dad was preparing to drill some holes in a beam above the garage. I could see him through an opening on the first floor putting his 10' step ladder on top of all this cardboard knowing how dangerous this was but at the same time normal work habits for him. Being worried something was about to happen I watched him go up for a moment then he was above the opening & I couldn't see him. He got to the top & then he was in view of another opening on the second floor where I could see him again. Bare with me & imagine this because I couldn't eat watching because I knew something was going to happen.

He started to drill with what we use to call a Milwaukee Hawg ( a large right angle drill ). This drill along with my sharp auger that he wasn't use to hung up, swung around & slapped him silly in the side of head. He lost control of everything except the cord that was plugged in above him on the second floor. He started falling with the ladder in slow motion because he was holding on to the cord as he was falling. On his slow but sure trip down he was yelling Edic. Edic come qweekly several times. Once he fell about half way he ran out of cord & fell faster but into a mass of soft cardboard totally unharmed except for a sore jaw. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt, even now I can still see this & laugh just like I did then. The dad was getting hurt or messing something up all the time & always had a funny story to go along with it.